Do we really need money to live?

Have we substituted money for our true wealth, what American essayist Henry David Thoreau describes as the ability to fully experience life?

The question has often piqued my curiosity.

If money were the final arbiter to an abundant life, wouldn’t those with the largest sums of it would be legendary? They’d claim the best health and longevity; the greatest joys from personal pursuits; the happiest marriages and relationships; and the highest levels of peace and well-being.

But they don’t.

Admittedly, money is a necessary vehicle of exchange that provides us with access to clothing, shelter and transportation. Money can connect us with lots of good things, but it has hardly lived up to its reputation for delivering us true wealth.